Judith Starkston has spent too much time exploring the remains of the ancient worlds of the Greeks and Hittites. Their myths and clashes inspire her fiction and open gates to magical realms. She has degrees in Classics from the University of California, Santa Cruz and Cornell. She loves myths and telling stories, and her novels imbue fantasy with the richness of ancient worlds. The first book in her Trojan Threads Series, Hand of Fire was a semi-finalist for the M.M. Bennett’s Award for Historical Fiction. Priestess of Ishana, the first in her historical fantasy Tesha series, won the San Diego State University Conference Choice Award. Judith is represented by Richard Curtis.
I’m struck by how often in my research–like when I read about this 5,000-year-old tavern in Mesopotamia–I discover signs that ancient people share a lot in common with us today. Moreover, this seemingly ordinary tavern’s excavation wreaked havoc on the prevailing theory of social structure in this ancient city. So much came from 19″ below the ground!
If a Victorian Great Britain in which beings with magical powers exist sounds fun to you, you’ll enjoy my review of Luanne G. Smith’s The Raven Song.
Novels that retell myths, especially with a focus on women, are cropping up all over these days. In this post, I look at one of the top 10 lists for this sub-genre. I’d love to hear what you think, also.
I think Rust in the Root is one of the most worthwhile books I’ve read recently, a fantasy twist on American history and the role of Black Americans. It’s entertaining as well as thought-provoking. I hope you enjoy my review.
Writing historical fiction–even with some fantastical elements thrown in–requires careful use of accurate historical detail. I loved this discussion of Egyptian chariots and the surprisingly abundant evidence for women using chariots. So handy for my fiction!
I spent a happy day at the exhibit, Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs. I have some thoughts to share which I hope you’ll enjoy. Read on for Ramses, Egyptian gold, and taking a nuanced view of history and museum exhibits.
We think of fingerprints as a tool of modern crime detection, but police experts are interpreting ancient fingerprints for archaeologists. I was surprised both by the range of projects and the information they could surmise.
This historical fantasy is both a magic-filled thriller with a delightfully creepy villain and a romance with hesitant Victorian “lovers.” There’s a house that’s truly out to get its owner, among other dangers that manage to be both funny and frightening. Read on for my review.
1200 BCE is the general date historians attribute to the fall of the Bronze Age. Empires in flames, widespread destruction of countless cities. Or maybe not. Getting history right is a subtle and complicated process. How much does physical destruction underlie the collapse of empires?
If you’ve ever visited the site of Troy in modern Turkey, you know what a befuddling place it is. So many jumbled layers, so many strands of history–or is it myth? The Archaeological Institute has come to the rescue with a clear and enjoyable interactive map. Click through to read about it and have some fun.
